War Goes On
by CrystalEsper
Summary: It's been twenty years now. The war doesn't seem to be slowing down. My children have spent their whole lives growing up in this war. They could be thrust onto the battlefield any day now. I'd do anything to keep that from happening. Even if it means coming out of hiding. Even if it means picking the sword back up. I will do whatever it takes to keep my family safe!
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue: Hope**

 _ **Plains of Hoshido**_

I looked back and forth between my families, both ready to attack one another. I merely stood where I was, unable to choose a side, but unwilling to abandon either of my families.

"This way!" Ryoma called to me. _Please, there has to be another way!_ The rest of my Hoshidan family ran up to me with worried looks on their faces. Even Takumi looked slightly nervous.

"B-Big Sister?" Sakura whimpered. _Sakura... I'm sorry. You don't deserve this, but... I don't know what else to do..._

My Nohrian family joined Xander next to me. "She's my Sister!" Elise shouted back. _Elise... Perhaps, in another time, we could all be one big family. Unfortunately that's probably no longer possible._

"We're your family." Xander said softly. _Xander... I'm sorry, but there has to be another way..._

"Lady Corrin?" Jakob asked, "We don't have much time. What will you do?"

"We will follow you on whichever path you choose, no matter what." Azura reassured me.

 _Everyone is waiting for me to make an impossible choice. Choosing either side would mean that one of my families becomes my enemy. What do I do? I don't want to lose them, but... I have to do something..._

"Are you alright?" Azura asked. _I'm sorry. I just can't do it. I can't make that kind of decision._ I immediately turned around and ran as fast as I could away from the battlefield.

"Where is she going!?" Ryoma yelled.

"After her! Don't let her escape!" Xander commanded.

I couldn't think anymore. All I knew was that I had to keep running. I had no particular goal in mind, just to get as far away as possible. I ran blindly until I triggered a trap and a net trapped me on the ground. Hoshidan ninja jumped out of the trees, knives ready to strike. _Is this it? Am I going to die here? Somebody, help! Anyone, please, help!_ The last thing I felt was cold steel daggers plunging into my body as I blacked out.

* * *

 ** _Cheve, Twenty Years Later_**

 _"Corrin! Corrin!"_

I snapped awake to my husband shaking me, clearly panicked. _Great. Another nightmare... When will it end?_

"Finally. You've been shaking for a while now. Another nightmare, I'm assuming?"

"What else would it be?" I asked him, settling into his arms. "that's what it's been for the past twenty years." _And it's been nothing but hell since then._

"How far did it get?"

"I got trapped under the net and then I... died..." I admitted to him.

"So you didn't get to the part where I saved your life and swept you off your feet?"

"Are you trying to be romantic? It did NOT happen like that." I said jokingly. "But... You did save me back there, so thank you."

"So, does that mean I'm your knight in shining armor?" he asked, his green hair visible in the moonlight.

"Haha! Yes, Kaze. You are my knight in shining armor." I giggled, turning and kissing his cheek. "I love you."

"And I love you, Corrin." Kaze whispered, returning the kiss. We sat in comfortable silence for a while, just listening to each other's breathing and feeling each other's warmth. _Kaze... You've always been so good to me... Don't ever leave me... I don't know what I'd do without you..._

"Is everything alright?" he asked, concerned. _Dammit, how do you read me so easily?_

"It's just... I don't want this to end. If something happened to you or the kids, I don't know what I'd do..."

"Don't worry, Corrin." he reassured me. "Cheve has committed to staying neutral. No one will be dragged off to war anytime soon."

"You don't know that... The war shows no signs of stopping. We might be forced to fight. Nohr might start recruiting from here and if they take the kids, then..."

"The kids will be fine. We taught them well, remember? They know their way around a weapon." he said, attempting to comfort me. _Are you serious!? These are our children you're talking about!_

"The kids have never been in a real battle before! Do you really want to just throw them onto a battlefield!? They'd be dead in seconds!"

"Calm down!" he shouted. "Look, I know they've never fought before, but don't you remember why we gave them weapons in the first place? They've been surrounded by war their entire lives. They could be dragged into it at any moment, and they need to be prepared if they are." _Prepared for battle... I hate it when you're right sometimes..._ "Look, we're just speculating at this point. We're not in danger now, so let's enjoy what time we have now and prepare them the best we can."

"I know." I choked out. "This is all we can do..." _Our children, going off to war... My babies..._

"I know you're upset, but we have to face reality." He said, turning away. "It's still dark out. We should try and get some rest. We can worry about this later. Goodnight, Corrin. I love you."

"I love you too, Kaze. Goodnight." I sniffed, tears in my eyes. I buried my face in my pillow, attempting and failing to fall back asleep, my worries never leaving my mind.

 _Kana... Midori... Kaze... Please, don't leave me... You're the only family I have..._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1: Shattered Peace**

 ** _Cheve_**

"I just don't know what to do anymore..."

I laid down on Azura's couch, feeling completely lost. "These thoughts have been going on for far too long. What do I do?"

"Well, I doubt our children are going to be drafted into the army," she answered, drinking a cup of tea in the chair next to me. "Nohr has had almost no influence here since the rebellion. That's why we decided to stay here, remember?"

"I guess..." _How can she stay calm at a time like this?_ "Do you ever worry about something happening, though?"

"Well, I suppose I do sometimes," she admitted. "but we've prepared them the best we could, should anything happen. There's not much else we can do now." I sighed, having little tolerance for Azura's lack of empathy. _Does she not even care? These are our children!_

Before I could speak my mind to her, a set of footsteps came down the stairs. "You know, Lady Corrin, that we do worry about them." it was Jakob, Azura's husband and my former butler. "They are our children, after all. However, there are things in this world that we simply can not control. It is as Azura said. We have done all we can."

"I know, but that doesn't mean I like it." I flipped over, burying my face in the cushions. "Can you get Dwyer to put on a pot of coffee for me? And drop the 'lady' part, will you? I'm pretty sure we're past the whole 'master and servant' thing now."

"Of course, Lady Corrin. Dwyer! Put a pot of coffee on for our guest!" He yelled upstairs to the sleepy teen with a slight hint of jealousy in his voice. "As for your second request, you know I cannot. It would be far too improper." _Guess old habits die hard, huh?_ "Now let's get back to the topic at hand. I'm sure you didn't just come here for a drink." he said, moving to sit in a chair next to his wife. _I wish I did now. You two haven't exactly been very helpful._

"Fine. What do you want?" I asked dryly as Dwyer dragged himself down the stairs and into the kitchen behind me.

"Corrin, do you think your anxiety might have to do with the nightmares?" Azura spoke up. _Really? Couldn't have come up with that on my own..._ "I'm just suggesting that your lingering feelings from those events might be affecting your perception of the future."

"My 'perception!?' Do you think I'm insane or something!?" I shot up, shouting at her. "Should I _not_ be worried about losing my only family to the war!? My other families have been fighting each other for twenty years and they both probably see me as a traitor now! I've lost both of them and I might lose this one, too! Why should I think that everything will be fine!? Everything has been falling apart since the war started and it's not just gonna get better! So yeah, maybe I am a little crazy, but after all that's happened, don't you think I have a right to be!?"

The room laid motionless for a while, Azura and Jakob stunned by my outburst. The silence lingered, and soon was broken when Jakob stood and walked toward me. "Everything falling apart?" he asked. "Does that include finding a safe place to live? Getting married? Having your own children? Would you consider that 'falling apart?' We've told you several times, Lady Corrin. We understand your fears, but try to think rationally. We cannot see the future. Whatever happens will happen. There's no use getting worked up over something you can't control."

 _Damn it... I hate it when you're right sometimes..._

"I'm sorry guys, I just-" I was cut off by the piercing sound of shattering glass outside. _Oh no. It's happening, isn't it? I knew it would come to this!_

"The front door then burst open. "Mother!" Shigure, Azura's other son, ran inside, shaking and out of breath. "It's happening. The Hoshidans have found us."

I collapsed to the floor in shock. _This can't be happening. Is this how it ends?_

"I suppose it's time, then," Azura sighed softly. She broke out into a sprint and ran upstairs, coming back down with a wooden jewelry box, which she gave to Shigure. "You know what to do."

"Of course, Mother," He nodded before running out the back door of the house. _What is she doing? Is there a plan I don't know about?_

"Hey, what was that? What's going on?" I asked nervously.

"Do not worry, Corrin," She answered calmly. "Just trust in us. It is as we said. We have prepared them for this day as best as we could."

Before I could question her, another glass broke, this one coming from right behind me. Though I was shaking in fear, I turned around cautiously, as a kunoichi wearing a yellow scarf rose from the pile of shards. She drew a shuriken out and glared at us menacingly.

"Alright, whichever one of you is Corrin, come with me. Everyone else, stay back and I won't have to kill you."

* * *

I woke up startled to the sound of a shattering window in my room. _Intruder!_ I drew my knives and looked around, seeing no one around me, yet the shards of glass on the floor were proof enough that someone else was in the room.

"Show yourself!"

Immediately, someone jumped down from the ceiling, clinging to my back and driving a weapon into my shoulder. Despite the pain, I fought off my assailant and threw him into the wall. He dropped to the floor, and I was able to get a good look at his face. _Oh no. It can't be... What are you doing here!?_ The ninja jumped up, seemingly unaffected by the impact, and walked menacingly toward me.

"Nohrian daggers, huh? So it's true what they say. You really have sided with them. My little brother, the traitor. Who would have guessed it?"

"You don't understand, Saizo! I did what I had to do!"

"And I'm doing what I have to do. I cannot allow you to tarnish the family name any further," he said calmly. "This. Ends. Here." I went into a battle stance, ready to fend him off, when two pairs of footsteps ran down the hall to the room.

"Father!" My daughter yelled from the doorway. _No... Why now?_ "Are you okay? What's going on?" She was standing there with her brother, Kana, staring up at Saizo fearfully. He glared back at them and reached into a pocket for a weapon. _No. I won't let you hurt them!_ I dived between them, taking a shuriken to the chest in the process.

"Kids! Get out of here! Find your Mother!" Fortunately, they quickly complied and ran away. Once they were gone, I got up slowly and stared my brother down. "You will not hurt my children!"

"I don't take orders from traitors," he stated before kicking me into a wall effortlessly. _Damn it... He's become too strong!_ I fell off the wall in intense pain and looked up at Saizo as he picked me up by my neck. We locked eyes for a few moments, neither of us daring to turn away. "You've been neglecting your training. Pathetic." Before I could react, Saizo threw me out of the broken window. As I landed on the ground, he jumped out after me, landing next to me and holding a knife to my neck.

"Where's Corrin?" He asked, pushing the knife closer.

"I'll never let you have her! I'll do whatever it takes to protect her!"

Suddenly, Azura's front door burst open. Saizo's partner, Kagero, walked out, holding Corrin's arms behind her back and carrying a knife to her neck. "Don't bother. She's ours now." she then pushed her to the ground, digging her foot into her back. "Saizo!" She called. "Remember the mission." Though I couldn't see it, he was most likely flashing a grin under that mask of his.

"Of course. How could I forget?"

* * *

 _I have to hurry..._

I made my way to Corrin's house as fast as I could run. As I approached, I heard more glass shattering behind me. _That was from my house! No. I can't go back now. I have a mission to complete._

 _"Shigure!"_

I turned to the voice and saw Kana and Midori running toward me. _Oh, thank the gods, they're safe!_

"Shigure!" Midori cried, pushing herself into my chest. "We're under attack! Father's getting hurt! What do we do!?"

"Calm down. Everything will be alright, but you need to listen to me, okay?" The two hesitated, but nodded slowly and locked eyes with me. _This is it. After all this time, we're finally going to unleash his power._ "Kana, come closer." He complied, looking at me with tears in his eyes. I took out the box Mother gave me, opened it, and pulled out the jade dragonstone inside. "I need you to take this stone. Concentrate all of your energy into it." I placed the stone in his hand, which only seemed to make him more nervous. "Don't worry," I reassured him. "Concentrate, and let the stone take over from there. It's the only way to save your parents."

"Okay, I'll try..." he mumbled nervously. He held the stone up in front of his face. Immediately, the stone began glowing brightly. _Amazing! He has much more power than we expected!_ As the dragonstone became brighter, Kana started shaking. "Shigure!" He yelled. "It hurts! I can't take it!" _No! We can't stop now!_

"Just keep going! It's almost complete!"

"Aaaaaaaaggghh!" Kana collapsed onto his hands and knees. His entire body started glowing as his limbs grew longer and became pointed and draconic. The transformation continued coursing through the rest of his body, his screams slowly mutating into fearsome roars. After the transformation stabilized, The human boy was gone, and in his place, a giant, monstrous dragon.

"Aaahh!" Midori screamed in fright. "What did you do to him!?"

"I'll explain later, Midori. We need to get out of here. It's about to get ugly." I grabbed Midori's hand and pulled her away from our homes, into a nearby forest to shield us from the imminent onslaught.

 _Corrin, forgive me. I had no choice..._

* * *

 _I knew it. Why didn't anyone listen to me?_

"It's time, then," the red-haired ninja spoke, snapping me out of my trance. He strode toward me quickly. _No! Not like this! Not like this! Someone, help! I don't wanna die!_

 _"GGRRRAAAOOGGHHHH"_

Both ninjas jumped away, looking toward the forest with weapons drawn. "Wh-What is that!?" the girl yelled. I turned to see what she was so shocked by. In front of the forest, A large, hulking dragon was staring at us. I watched the dragon carefully, feeling an odd sense of familiarity with it. _Where do I recognize that from_ _? I've never seen a dragon before. Except for that one time..._ I thought back to that fateful day. The day of Mother's death. The day I turned into that beast, the beast that looked so similar to the one before me.

 _Wait a second... Kana!?_

The more I stared at the dragon, the more I saw its resemblance to my own dragon form. There was no mistaking it. That dragon was my son. _But how? I threw away the dragonstone when we got here. How could he have found one?_

Without warning, Kana pounced, jumping toward the ninjas, claws extended. They both jumped back, throwing a shuriken each. I could see their faces morph from shock to fear as the weapons simply bounced off of Kana's thick dragon hide. "Saizo, it's too strong! Abort the mission!" The girl yelled. The redhead nodded, and both wasted no time in fleeing.

 _"GGRRRAAAOOGGHHHH"_

Kana let out another roar. Once the ninja were gone, Azura stepped out of the house and started singing.

 _"You are the ocean's gray waves~"_

The dragon before me roared once more before beginning to shrinking down. As Azura sang, he slowly transformed from a dragon back into my son. When the transformation was complete, he laid on the ground, unconscious. I picked myself up off the ground and ran to him. As I got to his body, I noticed the dragonstone next to him. _Azura... So this was your plan. Why would you do this?_

"Is everything alright, Corrin?" Azura asked next to me. _How could you?_

"I told you not to go back for it. I told you that the dragonstone would never be used again. It's far too dangerous and destructive. Why did you dig it back up? Why did you lie to me?" Though it was only for a brief second, I could see Azura's normally stoic face turn to shock, and then sadness, before reverting to her normal stoicism.

"I told you to trust me, Corrin. If I didn't have the dragonstone, you would be dead right now. Is that what you really want?" I couldn't think of anything to say back. I gave up trying to argue with her. I was about to leave in frustration when I heard a battle cry in the distance.

 _"Alright, you bastards! You're in trouble now!"_

Scarlet, the leader of Cheve, came flying toward us on her wyvern with her axe drawn. _Sure, now you show up. What took you so long?_ Once she saw that we were not in danger, she slowed down and landed next to us.

"Well, I heard there was trouble around here, but it looks like you guys had all the fun already. Well, I guess drinks are on me tonight!" she declared. _How can you consider drinking a a time like this!?_

"Scarlet," Azura began, "We've been discovered by Hoshido. It is no longer safe for us here, we must leave as soon as possible."

"And after all we've been through, huh? Damn." Scarlet lamented, "Well then, do you guys know where you're going?" I couldn't think of anywhere to go. Cheve was all we've known for the past twenty years. Who knows if we'll be able to find another safe place to live.

It was then that Jakob approached the group. "Lady Corrin, If you can't think of anywhere else, why not go to the Ice Tribe Village? It's close by, further away from Hoshido, and since we know Felicia and Flora, we should have no problem being accepted."

 _Felicia? Flora? Haven't heard those names in far too long. I wonder how they've been holding up. Do they still remember me?_

"Alright. Ice Tribe Village it is, then." I agreed. "We should be able to make it there in less than a days time, but we have to hurry."

"Well, if that's your plan, I'd be more than happy to escort you. Take the rest of the day to pack your things. We'll leave at nightfall to avoid detection. We should be able to make it there by morning if we hurry." She said before taking off on her wyvern.

* * *

I returned home with Kana on my back. I gathered all of the food I could find and any other supplies we could use. Afterwards, I retuned to my room and pulled out Yato, the sword that had chosen me on that fateful day. _Mother, if I didn't release this sword, you would still be here, wouldn't you? Was it worth it?_ I stared at the blade, trying to imagine her face. I could vaguely recall a woman in a white robe, but nothing else. _I wish I could see you again. It's been so long, I don't even remember what you look like anymore._ Putting my thoughts aside, I sheathed the sword and strapped it to my back.

After making sure we had everything, I returned to the front door. Kaze was waiting for me with our children. "Are you ready?" He asked.

 _I guess it's official, then. We're leaving our lives behind again. Nothing will be the same anymore, will it?_

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"Then let us depart." He said before he and the kids left the house. I turned around one last time to our house. The house that our children grew up in. The house we made so many memories in. _The house we'll never see again._ I looked around solemnly, then turned away and went to join my family, closing the door for the last time.


End file.
